Awakening
by Lady Ai of the Night
Summary: After a terrifying turn of events, Kagome is on the road to a person discover. Will she be given a second chance to find love and a few new friends along the way, or will she let her fear of the past hold her back? After all, you can never learn to fly if you are afraid of the fall. (Rated M for mild violence, future lemons and lots of drama.) IxK


Hello all! After a long time of reading several Inuyasha based fan fictions, I have finally grown the balls to write one of my own. I will admit that it is a little wordy starting out, but I promise it will get better. I have some great ideas going on up here. Anyway, rated M for future lemons, drama and what not. I'm a first timer, so please be gentle. Oh and I do not own any of the characters from Inuyasha and I certainly don't make any money from this… Now on with the show!

Awakening

Chapter 1: A Rocky Start

Her breath came in ragged pants. Her vision blurred; whether from the tears that stung her eyes, or from the breath of unconsciousness that threatened to take her, she was unsure. As she struggled against the strong arms of her attacker to free herself, she wondered how she found herself in her current situation.

FLASHBACK

At the age of 26, Kagome had accomplished more than most would in a lifetime. She liked to think that her drive came from her mother, the strongest woman she knew. After her father's death when she was twelve, her mother had taken up the slack left behind and managed to raise her two children and run the family shrine, with her fathers help. With those painful memories buried in her soul, Kagome was determined to make the most of her creative talents and swore to herself that she would see to it that her mother, grandfather and brother would live comfortably for the remainder of their lives.

She had graduated top of her class at a prestigious fashion institute in the U.S. and come home to start her own clothing line. The early days of the company were a whirlwind for her. She struggled a bit, but she was determined. Now, four short years later here she was. She designed beautiful and ornate gowns for some of the most recognized celebrities in Japan. After all of her hard work, she had finally made it.

Her penthouse towered over the constantly bright and busy streets of the Shibuya. To say it was massive would be an understatement. Entering from the hallway, through the enormous, white double doors, was her sanctuary. The immaculate white walls and marble floors stood in stark contrast to the dark oak furniture that inhabited the space of her living room. On the far wall stood her entertainment center equipped with a number of the most innovative technologies that money could buy. Across from that was her oversized, dark chocolate colored leather sectional sofa. Scattered about the sofa were several throw pillow of varying size and color. Further into the stunning apartment was her kitchen. The black granite counter tops shone under the dimmed lighting of the space. On the island sat a hand blown glass bowl full to the brim with fresh fruit. Down the hall was her studio. Unlike the rest of her home, it was littered with sketches and fabric swatches for her designs. She lovingly called it "creative chaos". Out side of the studio was an ornate spiral staircase that led up to the second level of the mini-mansion. On the left of the stairs were the two guest rooms and bath, reserved for her family. And to the right, was her very own little piece of heaven. The heavy door opened to a large white room, carpeted from wall to wall with lush white carpet. Her four post California king bed took up the majority of the far wall. Its downy comforter and pillows beckoned to any that entered. Opposite the colossal bed was her walk-in closet that would make any female drool. Her collection of rare and stunning designer clothing, handbags and shoes lined the walls in pristine condition. Next to the closet was her most favorite room in her home, the bathroom. Like the kitchen, it housed black granite counter tops and white marble floors. However, the main feature of the room was most defiantly the tub. It was massive with 8 massaging jets that she adored relaxing in after a long day. All in all, life was pretty good for Kagome. Well, almost.

Just a few short weeks ago she had ended her tumultuous relationship with her boyfriend of eight months, Bankotsu. Yes he was beautiful and everything seemed right with the world on the surface, but there was just something about him that had begun to make her feel uneasy. He would stop by unexpectedly most anywhere she would go. And there was just something about the way he looked at her from time to time that made her skin crawl. Finally, she had enough.

The day began just like any other. She awoke fairly early, immediately making her way to her beloved bathroom to start her morning ritual. She began filling the monstrous tub and climbed in. Yes, she would be fine.

She hummed quietly to herself as she enjoyed her soak, taking her time to wash her hair and bathe. After her bath, she donned her favorite fluffy robe and crossed the room to her mirror to brush her unruly wet hair. As she worked the knots out diligently, she evaluated herself. While she had never been one to brag about her appearance, Kagome could admit to herself that she was quite beautiful. Her long, raven hair glistened as she combed through it. Her eyes reflected back at her the most interesting shade of bluish grey, and her full lips curved into a soft smile at her handy work. As she finished the task of composing her uncontrollable tresses, she headed down stairs for breakfast. As she entered the kitchen, she noticed something amiss.

'Hmmm I don't remember leaving the lights on.'

She shrugged it off as her own forgetfulness and swore she should have been born blonde. She continued to the fridge, intending on opening it to retrieve the milk for her cereal, she heard the gruff voice from behind her.

"Didn't think you would get away that easy did you Kitten?"

She froze. She knew that voice. She mentally berated herself for not remembering to demand the key back after their break up. She turned quick on her heels to face the unwanted intruder, ignoring the nickname.

"Bankotsu I told you that we were through. You can't just come barge into my home. I told you that I did not want…"

She didn't have the chance to finish. He closed the space between them faster than any human could move. He had her pinned to the cold metal door of the refrigerator faster than she could think. She was terrified. He grinned maliciously at her.

"You see know that you can't escape me Kitten. You are mine."

She didn't know if she wanted to scream or vomit. His words shook her to her core and she could not think of a plausible way to pacify him into letting her go. Before she had time to form a thought, she found herself roughly thrown to the floor with him atop her. This time, instead of blocking her escape route, his hands found their way around her delicate throat. Immediately, she began thrashing to free herself from his grasp. The first strike caught her off guard. As she felt herself recoil from the blow to her left eye socket, another fist caught the right side of her face, just below her temple. She pushed against his broad chest, struggling to free herself from his grasp.

Her breath came in ragged pants. Her vision blurred; whether from the tears that stung her eyes, or from the breath of unconsciousness that threatened to take her, she was unsure. She knew she had to figure out away to escape him, but how? Another strike drug a cry of pain from her quickly bruising lips.

'Think fast Kagome, he has a weak spot somewhere…'

Her thoughts trailed off as yet another jolt of pain swept through her face. She did not fail to notice however that in her struggle, she had managed to free one of her legs from underneath him. With out a second thought, she swiftly brought her knee up to his groin with as much force as her small body could muster. As he rocked back in pain, she found her opening and took off, locking herself in her studio.

She knew that it was only a matter of time until he discovered her hiding spot, but she prayed that it was enough. She grabbed her "office phone" from one of several workbenches and called for the police.

As she described her situation to the dispatcher and gave her address, she heard him calling for her. She knew she didn't have much longer.

The dispatcher kindly stayed on the phone with her insisting that she remain quiet. Sitting there in the floor of her studio, Kagome tried to calm her nerves as she waited for the police to arrive, hoping against all hope that he didn't find her first.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps above her. He was searching through the guest rooms, and she could still faintly hear him calling her name. This was her chance. She quietly got up and opened the door of the studio, listening intently. He was still up stairs. She took a deep breath and, at a speed that shocked even her, made it to her front door. She swung it open and darted into the hallway. Knowing that her cordless phone would soon be out of range, she quickly told the dispatcher that she had managed to escape the apartment. She franticly began banging on doors, not caring who she disturbed. The second door she came upon swung open after a moment to reveal a small black haired woman, who appeared to be around Kagome's age.

She bolted into the apartment, franticly articulating apologies and giving the woman a brief synopsis of what had happened before the tiny girl could say a word.

"Oh sweetie, its fine. You're safe here. My husband is upstairs, he will take care of it."

A quick 'Thank you' was all Kagome could muster. And with that, the smaller woman was gone around the corner to seek out her husband. Moments later there was a harsh knock at the door and Kagome froze, not knowing what to do. As she debated whether or not she should run and hide in this strange home or open the door and let him do his worse, she sensed a new presence in the room.

She turned to regard him and she was shocked. The man before her was striking. He had long silver hair with stoic golden eyes that pierced through her. He barley acknowledged her as he crossed the room to the thundering knocking on the door. Snatching the door open he regarded the male in the hallway.

"Where is she?" is all Bankotsu shout.

"This Sesshomaru will not tolerate such outlandish behavior in the presence of women. Why are you disturbing my household?"

Bankotsu sneered at the demon. "I am searching for my woman, not that it is any of your concern."

With out blinking, Sesshomaru stated icily "If said woman is the same that is currently blooding up my kitchen, then yes, it is my concern."

In a flash quicker than Bankotsu could conceive, Sesshomaru had him dangling several feet from the ground with a strong hand around his throat.

"I do not know what circumstances have brought you to such violence against this woman, nor do I care. However, you will be a dead man if I so much a sense you within several miles of this place again. Is that understood?"

Bankotsu nodded and was dropped unceremoniously to the ground with the apartment door slammed in his face.

He gathered himself from the hallway floor and stalked away, muttering a string of curses towards a certain ungrateful bitch.

Inside the apartment, Kagome was beginning to calm down under the watchful eye of her new companion.

"So sweetie, my name is Rin. I have not had the pleasure of meeting you."

"Sorry" Kagome muttered quietly.

"My name is Kagome. I live 2 doors down"

"Kagome! The Kagome? As in Kagome Higurashi?"

Rin was ecstatic! She could not believe that the Kagome Higurashi lived just two doors down, let alone sitting in her kitchen.

Kagome gave a light smile and nodded in conformation. The girlish giggle that bubbled from Rin lightened the mood a bit.

"Rin, I am terribly sorry to disturb you and your husband, but I did not know what else to do."

"No bother at all Kagome. What are neighbors for right?"

Kagome smiled again at that as Sesshomaru entered the kitchen.

"The police are here. The want to take your statement."

Kagome nodded and rose from her seat to meet the officers. After a little over an hour of telling and retelling the events that took place, she was exhausted. She was scheduled to go the next day to file for an order of protection against Bankotsu.

She ambled quietly back into Rin and Sesshomaru's home.

"Thank you again for allowing me to intrude. I will make it up to you both."

Sesshomaru merely tilted his head once in here direction to show his understanding, but Rin was much more persistent.

"Kagome, think nothing of it. I am sure you would have done the same for me if I were in need of assistance. You are welcome here anytime."

Kagome gave a genuine smile at that. She was glad to finally have a friend in her building, let alone a fan. At that thought, an idea popped into Kagome's head.

"Rin, how would you like for me to design a gown for you? I mean it's the least I could do."

Rin thought a moment but responded in the negative.

"It's too much. I couldn't ask you to do that, especially not after what you have been through today!"

Kagome silenced the young woman. "Nonsense! You have to have some sort of event that you would need a gown for at some point. Besides, it will help me. Designing is a type of therapy for me."

Sesshomaru took this moment as his queue to speak up.

"Rin dear, were you not just saying that you did not have anything to wear to the company ball this winter? If Kagome is offering, would it not be an honor to wear one of her creations?"

Kagome grinned proudly at the knowledge that her work preceded her.

"Rin that is perfect! It will give me plenty of time to create something for you!"

Rin couldn't help but get excited, silently thanking her husband for his quick thinking.

"Sesshomaru is right. Kagome, it would be an honor! Just tell me what you need from me to get started."

Kagome was thrilled to have a project like this as an excuse to keep her mind busy. She was definitely looking forward to growing a friendship with Rin. She was quite an interesting girl and Kagome was convinced that they would be very close.


End file.
